My primary concern and idea is to do more to help the homeless of San Diego. We hear a lot about preserving the middle class in politics and ideology, but what about those weakest members of society who cannot, for whatever the reason, support themselves? Many things create poverty, mental illness and social structure that favor the strong and self-reliant a.k.a. free market.
But anyone who says they did “it” on their own, by their own volition and boot straps entirely, are entirely mistaken. Everyone who’s anyone has had some help; political campaigns are a perfect example of that. This “free market”/competition-based ideal that many favor is a great one if everyone is able to compete and if there truly was a social venue for every talent and strength of every individual member.
But there isn’t. And the problem with this system is that there are inherent losers and inherent winners. And we are creating a structure that not only embodies these, but applies rewards and persecution to these. Basically the free market doesn’t work for everyone, thus resulting in not a utopia, but inequality.
So before we can change anything tangible and concrete, we must change/fix our mode of thinking and creating a.k.a. fundamental paradigm shift. To quote a famous actor in one of my favorite movies: “In the last chapter she was buried in the ground… So you will just have to start there.”
Stephanie Stevens lives in La Mesa.
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